NOVPUBThe place was crowded with the glitterati of Brilda’s upper-class society.
Thankfully, the tickets they had obtained were purchased by Ursula from the Roland family, the heiress herself, which were already located in the VIP area.
If Abigail was really going to supervise on-site in the audience as Barton said, then the chances were high that she would be among this group of people.
"Look, is that her?"
Suddenly, Talia’s gaze was drawn to a figure in the distance. She lightly touched Lanci’s arm and leaned her cheek close to Lanci’s, signaling him to look in the direction of her gaze.
In the seats near the wall, a woman stood alone, frowning and murmuring in a state of anxiety.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, her pure silver-gray hair cascading down like a waterfall, clad in an off-shoulder black evening gown that hugged the contours of her exquisite figure, with a black sapphire necklace wrapped around her neck, accentuating her pale skin.
"It’s all up to you now. I don’t think this is my problem; if they can’t meet my expectations, then of course I’ll have to drill them, and even in the end, they barely made the grade... How was I supposed to know their bodies couldn’t take it? Had I known, I would’ve scheduled fewer shows. It wasn’t until that guy asked me to increase my influence that I packed the schedule so full. The actors just can’t grasp my vision..."
The woman in the black dress seemed to be using Communication Magic, speaking irritably, occasionally stomping her high heels.
But the scene was too noisy, filled with the chatter of people around, so Lanci and Talia, standing far apart, could not hear exactly what she was saying.
"Really, let’s go."
Lanci peered intently, surprised to confirm that she was indeed the eagerly anticipated director of the play, the famed prodigy of the Cerryti Empire, Miss Abigail.
She seemed more temperamental than expected, hard to imagine as the Royal Magic Artisan held up as a gem by the Empire’s Magical Engineering Circle.
"Would it be a bit difficult to approach her?"
Talia worried that approaching Abigail now, in such a bad mood, would result in being bluntly turned away.
Despite Abigail’s glamourous appearance, her face was shrouded with a veil of melancholy; she held a translucent purple Communication Magic Card in her hand and paced back and forth next to her seat.
It wasn’t just the two of them who wanted to find Abigail; however, everyone else was tactfully not approaching her.
"Leave it to me."
Lanci assured Talia with a nod, exchanging a knowing glance.
Talia, watching him, felt reassured.
Lanci has always been good at communication.
Without any hesitation, Lanci and Talia immediately stood up from their seats and walked towards where Abigail was.
As they grew closer, Abigail looked up, casting a puzzled glance at them.
"Miss Abigail, we were introduced by an acquaintance..."
Lanci politely began.
In public, Lanci could not mention Barton’s name or it would expose the cooperation between him, Landry, and Barton.
But Barton had said that as long as they could have a private conversation with Abigail and mentioned that they were friends introduced by him, Barton, she would give them some face, at least the chance to have a talk, whether she agreed to cooperate with them or not.
"!"
Abigail’s eyes suddenly lit up.
She immediately disconnected the Communication Magic and put down the Magic Card, as if she had seen a savior.
"You’ve finally arrived!"
She let out a great sigh of relief and said to them.
"Huh, did he contact you in advance?"
Lanci was slightly surprised.
He remembered Barton had Abigail’s contact information but did not particularly want to contact her actively through Communication Magic.
Had Barton, not trusting the two of them, taken the initiative to give Abigail a heads-up?
"Of course! Was the traffic bad on the way? You had me worried sick. I thought you wouldn’t make it!"
Abigail nodded emphatically, her coldness and irritation dissipating,
"Come with me, come with me!"
She gestured with her hand for Lanci and Talia to follow and headed towards the corridor inside the theater without looking back.
"..."
Lanci and Talia had not expected Abigail to be so welcoming.
Talia was even more puzzled about how strong Lanci’s social skills were - was a sincere approach all it took to immediately win someone over?
The two of them felt that things were going too smoothly today; they might not even need to watch the play to have a private discussion and a good business talk with Abigail.
Regardless, they followed along.
Because Abigail was already hurrying to the end of the corridor, she seemed more eager than the two of them.
The sound of Abigail’s high heels clicking against the marble floor was crisp and frequent.
Lanci and Talia, clueless, quickly followed Abigail’s pace, weaving through the corridors inside the theater.
Apart from the main stage, the opera house also had many rehearsal rooms, makeup rooms, and workshops for costume and prop-making.
They would pass through long, narrow corridors, and then cross over into broad, well-lit halls.
Staff they encountered along the way nodded and greeted Abigail.
Finally, a grey door appeared in front of them.
"Please come in."
Abigail, familiar with the place, pushed open the door and signaled for Lanci and Talia to enter.
"Thank you."
Lanci and Talia expressed their gratitude.
By now, they also had a clearer understanding.
Indeed, the face of the Mafia boss, Barton Hall, was powerful.
He had directly arranged for them to meet with Abigail.
Abigail understood the need to have a private discussion with the two of them and was eager to take them to a private place.
